Dean Cardasis,(rear), Director, explains the models of the center now and then to Frank Pond of Oak Park, IL, a member of Frank Lioyd Wright Building Conservancy as they visit the James Rose Center in Ridgewood on 9/17/17. Mitsu Yasukawa/NorthJersey.com

Dean Cardasis, Director, explains about the architecture to the members of Frank Lioyd Wright Building Conservancy at the roof garden as they visit the James Rose Center in Ridgewood on 9/17/17. Mitsu Yasukawa/NorthJersey.com

Dean Cardasis, Director, explains about the architecture to the members of Frank Lioyd Wright Building Conservancy at the roof garden as they visit the James Rose Center in Ridgewood on 9/17/17. Mitsu Yasukawa/NorthJersey.com

Matt Burgermaster, Professor of Architecdture at Parson School Design, guides the members of Frank Lioyd Wright Building Conservancy at the roof garden as they visit the James Rose Center in Ridgewood on 9/17/17. Mitsu Yasukawa/NorthJersey.com

Kevin McIlmail (L), Assistant Director, and Matt Burgermaster (R), Professor of Architecdture at Parson School Design, look at the meditation Room that has been damaged and is in the process of being repaired at the James Rose Center in Ridgewood on 9/17/17. Mitsu Yasukawa/NorthJersey.com

Piece of a trunk of a cherry tree that blocked the fall of a Willow Tree onto the Meditation Room upstairs which prevented further damage at the James Rose Center in Ridgewood on 9/17/17. Mitsu Yasukawa/NorthJersey.com

The deal

The center is asking for $1,700 a month in rent for a "private indoor-outdoor" studio in the complex starting July 1, but qualified tenants could reduce their rent in exchange for performing routine maintenance of spaces adjacent to the studio. Rose himself converted his studio into a rental property in the 1970s.

Amenities include a full-sized bed, full bathroom, fireplace with two exposures, eating space with floor-to-ceiling glass overlooking a small pond, galley kitchen and garden with private access. It's ideal for a single tenant or couple.

The history

The first residence, constructed in 1953, was built on a piece of land half the size of a tennis court, an abandoned trolley stop at the corner of East Ridgewood Avenue and Southern Parkway. From there, it evolved into a complex blending the natural environment and modern architecture. The three buildings were for Rose, his mother and his sister.

“It was Rose’s own personal living space for many years,” said James Rose Center assistant director Kevin Hofmann. “In several ways, it embodies some of the best ideas he had about space. Interior space has a strong connection with garden space, connected through views and through sounds — the ponds have fountains in them that make these really pleasant sounds of running water. Someone would get to live what he thought the ideal living environment would be.”

The home site was turned into a nonprofit after Rose died in 1991: the James Rose Center for Landscape and Architectural Research and Design.

“We’ve consistently had tenants in that space,” Hofmann said, adding that the current tenant has lived there for six years. “This is really a unique and rare opportunity.”

Other things to know

The main living space — not the tenant space — is open for tours from mid-May to October, from Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

An upcoming open house is tentatively scheduled for the end of May and will be announced on the center’s website and Facebook page.

“It’s an opportunity for someone who is interested in preservation, modern architecture, landscape architecture or even mindfulness. It’s pretty singular in the world, let alone Bergen County,” Hofmann said.

The James Rose Center, seen in 2009(Photo: NorthJersey.com file photo)

Since its inclusion on the list, the center stepped up its efforts to secure grants. So far, it has secured three: two from Bergen County for construction and one from the state to draft a preservation plan, Hofmann said.

“It’s the first step, but a very important one,” he said. “Both of those grants are being administered this summer. There has been a lot of activity. We’ve been increasing our visitorship and educational programming to coincide with that activity.”

In addition to keeping Rose’s vision alive, the center serves as a “case study” for creative ways historic sites can not only preserve but also adapt to new uses, Hofmann said.

“It’s an exciting time to be around the center,” he said.

The center received a share of a $1 million Preserve New Jersey Historic Preservation Fund grant in 2018, the only property not listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

For more information, check out the center’s website, jamesrosecenter.org, or contact Director Dean Cardasis at director@jamesrosecenter.org or 201-446-6017.

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